Nineteen-year-old piano sensation Yunchan Lim, often likened to “classical music’s answer to K-pop,” has just signed a special contract with Decca Records in the UK.
This young musician made waves in the music world last year when he became the youngest-ever champion of the esteemed Van Cliburn Piano Competition in Texas.
His performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 has been viewed more than 12 million times on YouTube since then.
Decca Records secured Yunchan’s talent after fierce competition among record labels from cities like Tokyo, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, London, New York, and Seoul.
Ultimately, he decided to join the 94-year-old British label.
Yunchan expressed his excitement, saying, “Decca has produced records with excellent sound quality, and has worked with numerous legendary musicians.
It’s a record label that I truly appreciate as a musician.”
Despite his young age, Yunchan’s performances have been described as “powerful,” “captivating,” and “expressive.”
His passionate rendition of Rachmaninoff’s concerto in Texas even moved conductor Marin Alsop to tears.
Yunchan, who hails from Siheung, South Korea, was born in 2004.
He attributes his love for the piano to his mother’s recordings of Chopin and Liszt, which he listened to as a child.
He began taking piano lessons at the age of seven and entered the Music Academy of Seoul Arts Center a year later.
His teacher once remarked, “I immediately noticed that he was a huge talent.
He’s very humble.”
Since winning the Van Cliburn competition, Yunchan has released two recordings: one featuring Liszt’s challenging Transcendental Études, recorded during the contest’s semi-finals, and a live performance of Beethoven’s Emperor concerto with the Gwangju Symphony Orchestra, released by Universal Music Korea, which achieved platinum status in his home country within hours.
His first studio recording, set to be launched by Decca in spring 2024, has created substantial anticipation.
Tom Lewis, co-president of Decca Records, expressed his excitement, saying, “Yunchan is, quite simply, the most exciting new classical artist on the planet.
It took a global mission to secure his signature… and we are so excited that he chose us.”
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